Coupling for traction-engines.



No. 731,707. PATENTED JUNE 23, 190 3.

W. E. EN'ENAM.

COUPLING BOB TRAGTIGN ENGINES.

APPLIQA'DIQE FILED OUT 11. 1902.

N0 MODEL.

Wf/y maas; //10a/1/or'- k 1? y E UNITED. STATES,

Patented June 23, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

W'ILLIAM HERBERT PUTNAM, OF WAYNE, NEBRASKA.

COUPLING FOR TRACTION-ENGINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. '7 31,707, dated June 23, 1903 Application filed October 11 1902. Serial No. 126,954. (No modelfi Toall whom it. may concern:

- Be it known that I,.WILLI M HERBERT PUT- NAM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Wayne, in the county of Wayne and State of Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Couplers for Traction-Engines,of which the following is a specification. i a

The object of myinvention is to provide a simple, durable, and inexpensive coupling device for traction-engines which can be easily operated by-grasping a ring which forms a portion oif my coupler and by pulling the I 1 couplinghook out, or, they can be released by means of a foot-lever.

holding the coupling-hook in position, so that I g the d ti n at. one end of my couppanying drawings, in which-- fat p shown;

ling device is entirely free from obstructions, and it is so arranged that the levers can be released and thus lock the coupling-hook around p thecoupling-pin, which is on the tender.

The most important object, however, of my invention is to provide means for operating my lever by the hand or by the foot of the operator.

My invention consists in certain details in the construction, arrangement, and combination of the various parts of the device whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as

hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims, andillustrated in'the accom- Figure 1 shows in perspective the complete couplingdevice attached to a traction-engine.

This shows the rod which attaches the footlever broken away. Fig.2 is a detail view of the same with the top portion of the coupling device removed. Fig. 3 shows a side elevation of a portionof a traction-engine platform with the means for operating the foot lever which uncouples my device and also shows thedevice for holding the couplinghook in a position which will not allow the hook to engage the coupling-pin. This view simply shows that portion of the coupling device which is mounted on the engine, and the main portion of the coupling device is not Fig. 4 shows the complete couplingpin, which is attached to the front end of the tender.

1 device, and Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional ling device.

This is a perspective view of this view of the device shownin Fig. eh This shows the top portion of the coupler.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, I have used the reference-numeral to indicate the portion of the traction-enginetender to which my coupling device is to be attached and held firmly in' place by means of the spring 1], which is mounted on the supporting-rod 12, forming the portion of my coupling device and which is so arranged as to hold the coupling device springingly in position relative to the traction-engine. Mounted at the rear of said supporting-rod l2 is the body portion of my coupling device, having y 1 an upper portion 13 and alower portion 14 A furtherobject is to provide means for.

therein, said portions 13 and 14 being substantially parallel with each other and held .in this position relative to each other by means of the supporting-rod 12 and the bracing-rods l5 and 16, said braciug-rods 15 and 16 being at the extreme rear end of my coup- The upper and lower parts 13 and 14 of my coupling device have each a V- shaped opening 17 near its rear end arranged so that a coupling-pin may be readily admitted into this V-shaped opening 17.

Pivotally mounted between the parts 13 and 14 of the body portion of'my coupler is a coupling-hook 18, said coupling-hook being designed to pass into the V-shaped opening in such a way that when the coupling-pin is passed into the extreme forward end of the V-shaped opening the hooked portion 19 of the coupling-hook 18 will engage the rear.

side of the coupling-pin, and thus lock the coupling-pin between the apex of the V-shaped opening 17 and the forward part of the hooked portion 19 of the hook 18. The rear part of the hooked portion 19 is curved forwardly, so that when the pin is passed into the V-shaped opening and against the hooked portion 19 of the hook 18 the hook will be forced away from the pin and allow it to passfarther into the .V-shaped opening 17, whereupon the hook 18 will be sprung back into place at the rear of the pin, which has pushed it aside by means of the spring 20, which is mounted between the forward projection 21 on thehook 18 and one-side of the body portion of the coupling device. Extending longitudinally and on the interior of this spring and transversely of the coupling device is the rod 22, having an eyelet 23 at its outer end and a nut 24 at its other end and outside of the projection 21 of the hook 18, through which this rod 22 also passes,

so that as the rod 22 is pulled in one direction the hooked portion 19 of the hook 18 Will be thrown out of the V-shaped portion of the coupling device, and thus uncouple the traction-engine from the tender to which itis attached.

Attached to the ring 23 and extending substantially at right angles to the body portion of the coupling device is the rod 25, said rod being attached to the bell-crank lever 26, one of the arms 27 of the said bell-crank lever 26 extending below the platform 28 of the traction-engine and the other arm 29 extending above said platform.

It will be seen that by pressing the end of the lever 29 downwardly toward the platform the hooked portion 19 of the hook 18 will be drawn out of the V-shaped opening 17, and thus uncouple the engine. This hook can be held in a position out of the V-shaped portion 17 by means of the retaining-hook 31, which is attached tothe platform of the tender.

In Fig. FL of the drawings I have provided the most preferable form of coupling-pin 32,

which is attached between the metal plates 33 and 34, which are the forward ends of my tender 35. The spring 11 is mounted on the supporting-shaft 12 in the ordinary way, so that jolting of the tender and coupling device relative to the device will be obviated to a great extent. Attached outside of the portions 13 and 14 and through the hook 18 is the'ring 36, designed to be grasped when the operator desires to uncouple the coupling device with his hand, and this ring is also designed to prevent the hook portion 19 of the hook 18 from moving to a position entirely between the portions 13 and 14.

If the operator desires to attach the tender to the engine by means of my coupling device, he simply has to draw the tender forwardly and throw the pin 34 into the V-shaped portion of my co'uplingdevice and against the hooked portion 19 of the hook 18. This will force the rear end of the hook 18 out of the V-shaped portion 17, and thus allow the pin to pass into the extreme forward portion of this V- shaped portion. The hooked portion 19 will then spring back into place at the rear of the pin which has been passed into the V-shaped portion. couple the engine to the tender. This of course is assuming that my coupling device is attached to the engine in the way above designated. If it is desired to uncouple the engine from the tender, the operator may do it either by the foot-lever. or by hand in the way above mentioned.

Having thus described my invention, what Iclaim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States therefor, is v 1. In a device of the class described, th combination with a traction-engine, of a coupling device attached to said traction-engine, abody portion in said coupling device, acoupling-hook pivotally attached to said body portion, a spring for maintaining the couplinghookinalocke dpositioma ring attached toone end of said coupling-hook for uncoupling said hook and for limiting-the horizontal movement of said hook in one direction, rods pivotally attached to the other end of said coupling-hook, abell-cranklever attached to said traction-engine and to said rods, for the purposes stated. p

2. In a device of the class described, the combination with a traction-engine, of a.coupling device springingly attached to saidtrae tion-engine, a body portion in said coupling device having a V-shaped opening at its rear Thus the coupling device will end, a coupling-hook pivotally attached to,

said body portion and the rear end of said hook being designed to pass into said V- shaped opening, a ring at one end of said coupling-hook, a rod attached to the other end of said coupling-hook, a bell-crank lever attached to the platform of said traction-engine and to said rod, a spring'for holding said coupling-hook in position relative to said body portion, for the purposes stated.

WILLIAM HERBERT PUTNAM.

Witnesses:

RoLLIn W. LEY, HENRY LEY. 

